Studies show that supporting argumentation in mathematics classrooms is challenging for teachers. This study reports on the experience of seven elementary and middle-school mathematics teachers in an afterschool classroom-based program where they had the opportunity to facilitate research sessions on students' development of mathematical ideas and…

Incorporating climate change into education is critical for building a sustainable future and empowering the next generation to take action. This study aims to explore how a project-based club program influences middle school students' action competency in responding to climate change. For this aim, ten students who participated in a project-based…

This study investigates the effect of out-of-school activities on gifted students' affective and behavioral tendencies. Mixed method research with a single group pre and post-test experimental design was used in this study. Twenty-five gifted students from Turkey-Istanbul participated in this study. "Environmental Affect Scale" and…

It is important that teens are exposed to STEM education both through formal and informal learning opportunities. STEM cafés are an instance of the latter. Within an informal setting, teen science cafés can significantly enhance teens' view of the importance of science in their lives, positively influencing teens' understanding of science in the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate metacognitive self-regulated learning (SRL) differences in computer- and paper-based reading assignments across elementary students. Students in two after-school programs in a southeastern U.S. public school district were recruited. The final sample consisted of 48 students in Grades 2--5 who…

The need for scientifically literate citizens is an urgent priority, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. Despite the importance of scientific literacy, elementary schools across the nation have not made science instruction a priority in their school day. On average, elementary students spend 40% less instructional time in science…

Breakthrough Collaborative operates as two dozen community-based affiliates supported by a national office. Traditionally, the Breakthrough model has consisted of two components: (1) a summer enrichment program that provides academic and social-emotional learning support to students; and (2) out-of-school-time tutoring and enrichment during the…

Purpose: Centered on the framework of global citizenship education (GCED), an after-school music program was developed for middle school students in Korea. The program aims to introduce multicultural topics to improve intercultural understanding and promote multicultural sensitivity for community relations development in response to rapid…

Background and Context: Pair programming is used in classrooms to promote learning and engage a more diverse group of students in computing fields, but little is known about what it looks like in middle school. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine how programming pairs were interacting and about what. Method: Video, audio, and screen…

Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve youth from diverse demographic backgrounds. OST programs, whose informal settings provide opportunities for experiential learning, can address this problem by implementing nutrition and food-preparation programming to improve participants' dietary knowledge and behaviors. In this article, the authors…

Background: American Indian communities in the United States experience considerable health inequities, including increased exposure to environmental contaminants. Consequently, community members of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation identified the lack of water-related environmental knowledge among children as an area of concern. Aim: The purpose of…

Afterschool interventions in STEM are linked to learning gains during the school day. These opportunities engage and excite students about STEM concepts since they observe a more hands-on, project-oriented approach. Often these opportunities for afterschool interventions are infrequent in nature and leave gaps for students in their maturation and…

Social networking sites (SNSs) are popular technologies used frequently among youth for recreational purposes. Increasing attention has been paid to the use of SNSs in educational settings as a way to engage youth interest and encourage academically productive discussion. Potential affordances of using SNSs for education include knowledge…

This explanatory mixed methods study investigates the experiences of approximately 280 rural, underrepresented middle school student members of STEM Career Clubs over 3 semesters (19 meetings). Data sources included surveys about STEM interests and career intentions (STEM-CIS), STEM club perceptions, and content questions. A subset of 101 students…

Background and Context: in this paper, we argue that integrating Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) into K-12 computing education can present learners with opportunities to develop human-centered design skills as well as higher-order thinking skills. Objective: to address the issues related to the development of HCI forms of expertise, we introduce…